Currently, the COVID-19 pandemic has led to hundreds of millions of Americans sheltering in place. This means going out minimally if at all, perhaps only for groceries or other essential goods and the occasional neighborhood walk or jog. In other words, it means you mostly can’t leave your apartment, and if you’re like most people, you enjoy going out, seeing friends, and getting away from home for a bit. If you’re struggling to stay entertained while you’re stuck at home, here are five ways to keep busy when you can’t leave your apartment.
1. Make big meals
It’s one thing to toss together a sandwich using whatever’s left in your fridge and cupboard. It’s another thing to spend hours putting together a delicious, giant homemade dish with enough leftovers to feed yourself for days. Chopping vegetables, waiting for large pots to boil, and cleaning up all your kitchenware after can quickly kill hours of time you might otherwise spend bored. Bonus points if you follow-up your meal prep with a video dinner party to also keep busy without leaving your apartment.
2. Work out in your apartment
Not much of a jogger? Then your exercise options outside your apartment might be limited, as gyms nationwide have closed in response to the pandemic. That doesn’t mean you can’t get in plenty of heart-pumping, muscle-building exercise at home. Try any of these in-apartment workouts for inspiration, or head to social media or video streaming services to find a class to follow. Just remember that, even if you can’t leave your apartment at all and are desperate to keep busy, rest days are important, too!
3. Redecorate, rearrange, and reorganize
Adding new decorative touches to your apartment, rearranging your furniture, and reorganizing your belongings can take up a large portion of your day. These activities can also change the way your apartment feels for a while – realigning the couch with a different wall or adding some new houseplants to your windowsill can completely change the mood and ambiance of your space. And when your apartment feels different, you might associate it with less with boredom, restlessness, and other emotions you might be coping with when you can’t leave your apartment and are struggling to keep busy.
4. Get started on spring cleaning
Although you can’t leave your apartment, each day now has slightly more sunlight hours than the last, and as more natural light makes its way into your apartment, you’re probably seeing spots where you didn’t even notice dust accumulating before. Take a few hours to get started on spring cleaning and make your floors, countertops, walls, and other surfaces shine like new (and don’t forget to disinfect, too). Between spring cleaning and redecorating, reorganizing, and rearranging, you’ll easily keep busy, and you’ll do so productively, too.
5. Chat with friends
Just because you can’t see your friends in person doesn’t mean you can’t see them at all. A video call or even a regular old phone call with your friends is a great way to keep busy and kill time doing something you’d normally be doing in person. You’re far from the only person who can’t leave their apartment right now, so your friends are very likely to appreciate the call and the activity to keep them busy, too.
How do you keep busy when you can’t leave your apartment? Sound off in the comments!
